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'MESOPOTAMIAN ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE. DRAFT REPORT OF COMMITTEE.' [‎126r] (3/4)

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The record is made up of 1 file (2 folios). It was created in Mar 1917. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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included in the neutral zone, i f., the regions south, of Ispahan, Yczd and
Kerman. It will, therefore, be contiguous with the existing Russian
sphere.
]3. That the British Consuls or officers in this region, i.e., at any or all
of the following places, Mohammera, Ahwaz, Dizful, Shuster, Shiraz,
Bushin-, Lingah, Bunder Abbas, Kerman, &c., should be nominated by the
Indian Covernment, although in the cases of Shiraz and Kerman they
would require to report also to the British Minister at Teheran.
I I. West ami South Coast of Persian (Julf ami Muscat. -Certain
aspects of the question appear to us to point to the desirability of
placing the Arabian littoral of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and Muscat under the
political control of the Mesopotamian authorities rather than of the
Government of India. The acquisition by Bin Sand of El Hasa will
necessarily bring under the control of the former the Arabian coast
as far south as Bahrein. We understand, moreover, that the Govern
ment of India already experience considerable difficulty in staffing
the posts in this region, owing to the limited number and value of the
appointments available, which offer little inducement to officers of the
Indian Political Department to qualify themselves for service in Arabic
speaking districts. This difficulty will be greatly increased by the removal
of Bagdad from the Indian sphere. We recommend that the Government of
India should be consulted on this point with as little delay as possible, and
that, in the absence of strong objection on their part, the question should be
reconsidered in the light of the above remarks.
10. Aden and South ( oast of Arabia .—We consider that the present
opportunity should be taken to gratify the long-expressed desire of the
Government of India to be relieved of the charge of Aden and its depen
dencies. The political control of the Hadramaut and the South Arabian
Coast (as also of the island of Socotra) should, in our opinion, go with that
of Aden. The Administration which should be asked to take them over fur
the present should be the Foreign Office.
lb. That it is not desirable at present to contemplate any disturbance of
the Cairo sphere of influence, which should include Western Arabia (Hejaz,
Asir and Yemen).
11. Speaking generally, we are of opinion that the administrative arrange
ments introduced during the present military occupation into Mesopotamia
as a whole should be consistent with the future policy of His Majesty’s
Government. The Basra Vjlayet, if it is decided to administer it as British
territory through the direct agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. of British officials, will cause no special
difficulty. The international position to be assigned to the Bagdad Vilayet
will require careful consideration, and we have not examined in detail the
possible alternative solutions of the problem. But, on the information
before us we are disposed to recommend that the existence of the Bagdad
State be recognised under a local ruler or local Government, His Majesty’s
Government, however, assuming full responsibility for its external relations.
The manner in which the internal sovereignty would be shared would be a
matter of municipal arrangement.
We are disposed to think that it would be possible to provide a
satisfactory administration, suitable to the requirements of the people, on the
general lines of the system prevailing in Egypt, under which local
administrative work is carried on by native Mudir* under the guidance of
European “ Inspectors. I he various reform schemes proposed in the past
for the administration of I urkish provinces such as Macedonia and Armenia
might also serve as a convenient model.
III. We have not considered the question of the military defence of
Mesopotamia, or of the quarter from which the troops for this purpose are to
be provided.
IV. We would emphasise the importance of an early decision on the
points, raised above. Any necessary reference to the Government of India
or elsewhere should, in our opinion, be made by telegraph with the least
possible delay.

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Content

The draft report of the Mesopotamian Administration Committee containing recommendations made by the committee.

These recommendations include:

  • The occupied territories of Mesopotamia being administered in the future by His Majesty's Government and not by the Government of India;
  • The Basra Vilayet territory remaining permanently under British administration;
  • Proposed boundaries for the region which would ensure that Holy Places remained outside of British control;
  • The proposed system of Arab Administration of the Bagdad Vilayet, including the committee's desire for the 'Irak Code' not to be implemented there and local judicial systems to be maintained where possible;
  • The considerations needed over the title and place of residence of the future Head of the Mesopotamian Administration, which would depend on the future status of the Basra Vilayet, and on concerns over how a potential British position of 'High Commissioner of Mesopotamia' might look to the Arabs;
  • The possible need for the creation of a Mesopotamia Civil Service which could be amalgamated with that of the Sudan and also the Levant A geographical area corresponding to the region around the eastern Mediterranean Sea. ;
  • Arabistan [Khuzestan] and the Sheikh of Mohammera [Khorramshahr] remaining under the political influence of Southern Persia, which should be under British influence; and the Bakhtiari county to be included in the British sphere of influence of the Indian Government;
  • the placing of responsibility for the Arabian littoral and Muscat under Mesopotamian authorities rather than the Government of India;
  • The relieving of the Government of India of responsibility for Aden and its dependencies;
  • That the administration of Mesopotamia should perhaps be arranged along similar lines to Egypt.
Extent and format
1 file (2 folios)
Physical characteristics

Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at folio 125 and terminates at folio 126, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between folios 6-153; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.

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English in Latin script
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'MESOPOTAMIAN ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE. DRAFT REPORT OF COMMITTEE.' [‎126r] (3/4), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/18/B255, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100024250412.0x000004> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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